Like most people, I’ve been cooking a lot more at home. Before COVID-19, I usually cooked five dinners a week and my husband and I would bring the leftovers for lunch the next day. Normally, my kids would eat breakfast, lunch, and two snacks at school.

Now, nearly every meal we eat, with the exception of the two take-out meals, are made by me. So, I’ve been looking for and trying new recipes. Being part Chinese and Vietnamese, I’ve been interested in trying more traditional recipes, so there are a few in this post. I’ve also just needed some happy food that makes you do a little dance when you eat it. Because let’s be real, we could all use a little happy food right now.

Chinese Scallion Pancakes

I never had a Chinese Scallion Pancake until a few years ago and I am really not sure how I had go so long without eating these. They’re a flaky, savory, delicious snack or appetizer. For some reason my daughter asked for these for breakfast one day, so I looked up a recipe and tried it out. They’re so good, I ate way too many of them.

This recipe makes 8 medium-sized pancakes.

Ingredients for Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup + 1/6 cups boiling water

Ingredients for Filling:

• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix flour and water.  Knead for 4 – 6 minutes. Cover & let rest for 30 minutes. 

Mix the ingredients for the filling.

Roll the dough into a flat sheet and spread the butter, flour, scallion, sesame oil and salt mixture. 

Similar to cinnamon rolls, roll the dough starting on one of the short ends into a large tube.  Cut into 8 pieces.  Flatten and roll out too desired thickness. (This part is a little messy, the filling will get all over the place. Just scoop it up with a spatula and smear it onto the pan.)

Cook 1 – 2 minutes on each side on medium heat.  Serve with soy sauce.

Vietnamese Curry

I had this dish a lot growing up but never thought to make it until recently. Most people don’t even know that Vietnamese cuisine includes curry, but it does! This curry stew is flavorful and the coconut milk adds a hint of sweetness. It’s usually served with a loaf of crusty French bread so you can soak up all the sauce.

As with most stews, you can add whatever vegetables you like. The one thing I do recommend is I always add a Fuji apple with my curries. It’s an unexpected sweetness that’s a perfect pop to your dish.

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (one per serving)
• 1 medium onion, rough chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato, chopped large chunks
• 2 carrots, chopped large chunks
• 3 – 4 red potatoes, chopped large chunks
• 1 Fuji Apple, chopped bite-sized pieces
•  cauliflower, mushrooms or green beans
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 1 (14oz) can of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 (14oz) can of coconut milk
• 1 stalk lemongrass, sliced length-wise
• salt

Marinade:

• 4 T fish sauce (I use phu quoc brand)
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Marinate chicken for at 30 minutes.

Sautee chopped onion with 1 Tablespoon curry powder until translucent. Push aside, pour the marinade in the pot and brown chicken thighs for 5 – 7 minutes per side depending on the size.

Add chicken broth and stalk of lemongrass and bring to a boil.

Turn down to a simmer on medium and add red potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and 1 Tablespoon curry powder.  Simmer for a total of 25 minutes. A few minutes before it’s finished simmering, add the apples. (You don’t want to overcook the apples.)

Add coconut milk and remove from heat. Remove lemongrass stalks. Serve with rice and crusty French bread.

Banana Bread

We’re usually good at finishing all our bananas but every once and a while, we get a few ones that are nearly black. Banana bread is the perfect way to use them. FYI: I prefer mine not to be a sugar bomb, so it’s probably less sweet than regular banana bread.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 Tablespoons oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t vanilla

Mix ingredients in the order listed above. Bake in parchment-lined loaf pan at 350F for 55 – 60 minutes in the middle of the oven or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Caramel Pudding

I usually buy these little jars of salted caramel pudding at the grocery store but they are expensive. Like $3 a jar expensive. So, naturally, I wanted to see if I could make something similar. I ended up liking the homemade version more and it’s much cheaper!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or 3/4 cup coconut milk)
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 6 Tablespoons brown sugar 
• 3 teaspoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract)

Mix milk and cream in one bowl.

Mix egg yolks and cornstarch in another bowl.

Mix sugar and water and then heat for 5 minutes on medium-low until it turns dark brown.  Do not stir while cooking. It will bubble. Just let it do its thing.

Slowly mix in cream/milk and stir continuously.   Cook on medium until it begins to boil.

Pour 1/2 cup of milk mixture into the egg mixture using a small steady stream and continually stir.

Add egg yolk/milk mixture back to the pot and turn to low.  Cook for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until smooth.  Add vanilla.

Cool for a few hours in the refrigerate and serve with fresh berries.

What do you think? Would you try one of these recipes? What have you been cooking during COVID-19? Tell me in the comments!

For related and random posts, check out:

• Plastic-Free Tortilla
• Grocery Shopping During COVID-19